Empty bottles piled outside restaurants and bars became the inspiration for one Union City man's hobby.

John Rosano, a flight attendant, began reusing empty alcohol bottles to create glassware after receiving a glassmaking set for Christmas, his brother James said.

His newly discovered passion led to Rehabulous, an eco-friendly business that converts bottles into planters, glasses and other items.

The Etsy shop, where Rehabulous items are sold, exploded by Christmas 2013, said James Rosano.

"Upcycling is a huge draw," James Rosano, a music teacher in Queens, added.He joined his brother in December to help fulfill the demand.

"He made 100 pieces a week leading up to Christmas," James Rosano said, noting that John was the only one who knew how to cut and melt the pieces. "Me and another employee now know how to cut and melt."

The trio moved out of John Rosano's apartment to the Chambord Inc. factory building on Jackson Street.

The warehouse allows tenants to purchase the studio space but add "a la carte options" to build as necessary, James Rosano said.

The Rosano brothers had to rewire the studio for the kiln and various other equipment.

The loft-like building even has a hand-operated elevator to reach the fifth-floor studio.

The company has had more than 2,000 sales through its Etsy page and has also received rave reviews.

"My dad absolutely loved the Patron chip and dip bowl set," customer Cara Miller wrote in the reviews section. "It's his favorite tequila and he thought it was just the neatest thing."

James Rosano, whose background is in marketing, helped consolidate the buyers' experience to a one-click stop: Facebook.

The page has more than 1,600 likes, and Rehabulous allows consumers to comment on pictures of items with their email addresses. The Rosano brothers email the consumers directly with all of the information to purchase a product.

"We didn't want people getting lost clicking on links," said James Rosano.

Customers have the opportunity to request colors or bottle types for designs "if we can get them," he said. "We normally can."

The Rosano brothers have set up a partnership with local Hoboken bars to use the empty bottles, while they also buy them in bulk from eBay.

Rehabulous also offers a weekly giveaway on its Facebook page. Facebook users can comment and share the giveaway item, and one of them will be chosen at random to win a variety of items.

"We give away the good stuff," James Rosano said, laughing.

The brothers of Rehabulous said they are looking to expand.

"In the next year I would like to move the studio to more of a retail location," John Rosano said.

The company would still keep the online model, Rosano added, but allow customers the opportunity to come in and make their own projects.

"The DIY movement seems to be exploding and people are interested in a learning experience that they can share with friends and say 'Look what I made!'" Rosano said in an email. "Having a retail studio would also allow us to expand from solely recycled glass projects to more advanced fused glass projects and maybe even ceramics."